The Snake and the Lion
by thesnakeandthelion
Summary: Behind closed doors a relationship began- an unexpected one by any means. Hermione has to deal with love's up and downs, whilst helping Harry save the wizarding world and the wizarding kind. Will the truth come out in the end? The one she has been holding in ever since third year...
1. Take a Bow

The snakes and the lions all walked down to the clearing in the forest, segregated into their own houses- all with a monster book in hand.  
"Alright you lot, go stand over there and open yer books to Page 49."

Draco Malfoy asked the question on everyone's mind "and how exactly do we do that?" he exasperated. Whilst Neville wrestled with his book, Hermione looked over at the pureblood.

"...mione? Hermione? Are you still with us?" Harry pressed on.

"Oh I think they're funny" She tried to rejoin the boys conversation.

Without warning, Malfoy spoke somewhere behind her; "Oh yeah terribly funny, _really witty_. God this place has gone to the dogs." Hermione jumps a little inside and turns around to face the Slytherin. "Wait until father hears Dumbledore's got this oaf teaching classes." He spat, his posse; Crabbe and Goyle either side of him.

The snakes all laughed and Harry Potter felt the need to step up. Hermione felt him move before he spoke and she rolled her eyes, wishing her friend would leave it alone and not get involved. She thought the hate between the two had gotten pathetic and she watched on in annoyance. But she had to admit to herself, Malfoy looked rather handsome pretending to be a dementor. She pulled her friend away and sneered at him, trying to ignore her own straying thoughts.

Harry was about to take flight on the Hippogiff when he stepped on and snapped a twig, Hermione feared the worst in that moment for her close friend and grabbed Ron's hand in a panic. When Harry had landed Hagrid took his attention away from the beast and the class, he lowered himself to talk to Harry.

Malfoy stood up tall, and obviously wanting to show off he walked towards the Hippogriff. With confident posture and confident words he wanted to prove that the beast was harmless and that Potter was in no danger at all. Hermione watched the boy again and her heart dropped when the beast leapt up into the air and took a swish with his claw right at the blonde.

Draco rolled on the floor in agony, griping his injured arm.

"Hagrid, he needs to be taken to the hospital!" Hermione stepped forward and said with a hint of panic in her voice. For some strange absurd reason she hated seeing Malfoy on the floor in pain. There was just something about him in this vulnerable state, showing a weakness unknown to him, that one does not usually associated with a Malfoy. Hagrid hastily agrees and uses his strong giant arms to pick up the thin pale boy. Hermione finds herself worried for the blonde. She's in deep thought when Harry walks back to her away from Buckbeak.

"Are you alright Mione?" Harry questions.

She comes back down to Earth "Yes, of course," Then the trio walked back up to the castle.


	2. Riddikulus

Chapter 2

Later that night, everyone gathered in the hall. The Hogwarts ghosts were running through, right past Draco who was too busy moaning about his injury to take any notice.

Pansy was all over Draco, as per usual.

'Does it hurt terribly Draco?' she cooed, stroking his shoulder. With all of the attention he was getting, he was overreacting.  
The trio was watching the scene unfold in front of them, when Ron grumbled, 'Listen to the idiot, he's really laying it on thick, isn't he?'

'I hear Draco's father's furious. We haven't heard the end of this.' Hermione chirped in. For some reason, Hermione felt uncomfortable with the sight of Parkinson all over Malfoy- if she didn't know any better, she would have thought it was jealousy.

She was pulled from her thoughts as a loud voice screamed the news that Sirius Black had been sighted.

The next day in Defence Against the Dark Arts, they were learning the spell to change a Boggart's form to overpower the fear a Boggart would create. Before the class that morning at breakfast, the only thing Hermione could think about was how Draco was treated at home by Lucius. She wondered if he got abused or neglected, and if that was the reason he constantly wants attention, because he doesn't get any at home.

Hermione thought back to Draco's comment a few moments ago about the class being 'ridiculous'.. She pondered on the statement and she wondered if it was because Draco was so scared of his fear and feared showing it to the class itself.

As she queued up to face the Boggart, she began to question the form her Boggart would take as the only thing she could think of was failing in class. But she wasn't that shallow.. was she?

She knew from books that Boggart's react to your deepest darkest fears, ones that you may never even have known you could have had.

It was Harry's turn to step up, and just as the Boggart was about to change, Lupin got thrown off teaching the class for a moment and finished off the lesson early, dismissing the class.

Hermione felt outraged, wanting her lessons worth. She stormed up to Lupin, trying not to show her anger in front of a teacher.  
'Professor, sir, I've read all about Boggarts and how to change the form, but it really is useless unless I get the chance to actually practice the spell, and when am I ever going to get the chance again to confront such a creature?'

'Of course Miss Granger, and after hearing all of the praise about you within the staff circle, I am sure you're trust worthy enough to leave to practice here. I will be in my office marking second year papers if you need me, or if there is an emergency. Put the Boggart back in the cupboard when you are done,' as he walked up the stairs to his office.

Just as Hermione was readying herself for any fear she might have, the classroom door opened revealing a certain Malfoy.

'Malfoy… what are you doing here?' she sighed, lowering her wand.

'Well, believe it or not Granger, you're not the only one around here that cares about your grades...'

'Well that's a first… you didn't call me Mudblood,' in fake shock, putting her hand sarcastically over her heart.

Draco smirked, and leaned casually against the wall - crossing his arms, 'Don't be stupid Granger, I thought you were supposed to be smart?'

'Why, is it all just an act with you then?', She asked him, thinking about what she has been questioning about his home life, and what would happen if she brought it up. He glanced at the ground, with no answer, so she carried on. 'It is! Well then why do you act so vile towards me?'

'Oh you learn so quickly Granger, ten points to know-it-all!' his voice dripping in sarcasm.

'Don't ignore my question Malfoy,' she spat angrily at the ground. Why was he being such a narcissistic git?

'Come on then, show me how this spell is done if you're so clever, brain box,' again, avoiding her question, Draco pulled out his wand which made Hermione take a step back, thinking the worst, and was surprised when he aimed it instead at the cupboard that held the Boggart inside.

Draco took a step back, so that Hermione was in the Boggart's line of sight. What astonished him was that instead of McGonagall issuing her bad grades; it was something that even surprised him...


	3. Greatest Fear

Draco furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at first, as he looked down and saw a mirror image of himself, except the reflection of himself was on the floor in his own pool of blood.

Hermione stood facing him.

'Why are you looking like you've just seen...Oh Merlin', she said whilst turning round and seeing what the Boggart had become.

'Wh…What…', he stammered as he inched forward to get a closer view of the second him. 'Granger… why am I lying on the ground?'

She was silent for a second. 'I have no idea.' She muttered, taken aback.

An awkward silence engulfed the room. The blonde didn't know what to think.

'Well you obviously do, this _is_ what you fear the most, after all.' Draco spoke, gently. 'Explain this?' his voice getting harder and more demanding.

Hermione looked like a deer caught in headlights. '…I-I-', she stuttered before promptly grabbing her bag and running out of the room.

Draco watched as she left, feeling something that felt like sadness, but he shook that thought off and quickly dismissed it for curiosity as to why her Boggart was him.

Suddenly his limp body on the floor changed in front of his eyes. Instead of seeing himself, he now saw his greatest fear- his Father.

With his heart racing, he slowly backed into the wall. He thought he got rid of his Father for a year, and now here he was… with that familiar look of disappointment upon his face, reminding Draco of what a letdown he is to the family name.

To the right of him, the door creaked open. He'd have missed it, if only the Boggart didn't immediately change back into the hurt version of himself.

He quickly glanced to the side to see Hermione, the person he was expecting. The person who, for a moment, he thought he wanted back in the room. Now he wanted her to be anywhere but here, now that she knows his greatest weakness. Draco Malfoy is not weak. It's in his blood to be strong.

Draco looked into her eyes, looking for a way to defend what had just happened, but couldn't find the words. Not knowing what to say, he looked at the hurt projection of himself, and just wished he could be with her alone- not with the weak, pathetic figure led down feeling sorry for himself in front of him.

He didn't really even understand his own thoughts. Why was he suddenly warming up to this bushy-haired, impure, joke of a witch?

By the time he looked up, she had vanished.


	4. A World of our Own

After the news that Sirius Black had been sighted in the school, Hogwarts went into panic mode. Every house was to sleep in the great hall so the staff could keep an eye on the students.

They were all given sleeping bags and cluttered together in the small space.

Hermione settled down beside Harry. She was on the verge of sleep when the space the other side of her was taken by a small thin shadow. She squinted up at the figure, who was sorting out his sleeping arrangement.

She quickly snaps her eyes away from him when she realized it was Draco Malfoy. She had a feeling it was too late- their eyes already connected. His gorgeous grey eyes. Hermione mentally slapped herself. Why would she even think about the colour of his eyes?

She ignored the thoughts and the boy beside her, turning back to face Harry, who was closing his eyes, and whispered goodnight to her.

Hermione was kept up during the night because of the uncomfortable wooden floor. Turning around onto her other side, her eyes immediately gained contact with his sparkly grey ones. She felt snitches fluttering within her stomach, and she didn't really want to stop herself this time… plus, everyone was sleeping. There was no-where to escape to.

'Hi', he whispered softly, attempting to start a conversation, looking for a response to allow him to continue.

'Er, hi…', she whispered back awkwardly.

Draco gave a half-hearted smile. 'Why do you always make things awkward, Granger?'

'Sorry… sorry…' She said, not knowing what else to say.

'Stop saying sorry!' He playfully scolded. Hermione felt herself blush.

'…sorry' she replied, avoiding eye contact, messing with the zip of her sleeping bag. Draco reached over and gently pulled her face up to look at him.

'Whilst we're saying sorry… I want to apologise for anything you saw earlier...' he confessed, looking guilty.

'and there goes those darn snitches again', Hermione sighed to herself not meaning to say it out loud.

'What are you on about?' He questioned. 'You really are slightly loony Granger!', with a hint of a laugh. 'But it's adorable.'

'What?'

Draco realises he let that slip. 'What? Huh? Erm...Well let's blame that one on lack of sleep...'

'Oh... um... yes of course'

'Oh sorry, well that awkward moment was my fault,' he chuckled.

'Oh don't worry... I found it... adorable,' she giggled, laughing at her own joke. Draco rolled his eyes, and first of all she thought it was something she shouldn't have said. Then he jokingly punched her in the arm and laughed quietly with her.

For once there was a comfortable, happy silence.

Hermione's smile slowly dropped to a frown.

'What?!' Draco panicked.

'Why are you talking to me? I thought talking to mudbloods was something that Malfoys didn't do.' That caused Draco to frown himself.

'Way to ruin the moment Granger.' He said, turning around, facing his back to her.

The next morning, most of the students had packed away their sleeping bags and gone to their dorms to freshen up.

Hermione woke up to the sight of Harry and Ron gone, and Draco rolling up his bedding.

She sighed. 'Sorry.'

'Forgiven.' Draco got up and left the Great Hall.


End file.
